Callum Johnson comes out of retirement to target world cruiserweight elite: ‘One last roll of the dice!’
Former light-heavyweight contender Callum Johnson has announced his return to the ring. Johnson is making a bold move up to the cruiserweight division, driven by the desire to have one last shot at a world title
Callum Johnson will come out of retirement and return to boxing at cruiserweight.
Johnson last fought in 2021. With a record of 20-1 with 14 knockouts, the 37-year-old has decided the time is right for him to return.
“I’ve got bored of this retirement. I’m going to come back and have a go at cruiserweight, one last roll of the dice,” the former light-heavyweight said to Sky Sports News, revealing his motivation to reignite his boxing career.
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“I can’t live the rest of my life without having a go. Even if I have one fight when I’m back, I’ll be able to live the rest of my life in peace, but I feel I’ve got two, three, four good fights left in me.”
The decision to move up to the cruiserweight division was not a spontaneous one. Johnson admitted he had contemplated the move for a while due to difficulties in making the light-heavy limit.
“I’ve been struggling to make the weight for a long time,” he explained. “
He is confident in his physical abilities to compete at the new weight class. Johnson is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead and acknowledges the stacked competition in the British cruiserweight scene.
“That’s another thing, if you look at what’s happening in the domestic scene, it’s like the light-heavyweight scene. The cruiserweights now are right up there,” Johnson said, expressing his eagerness to re-enter the fray.
“I’m not bothered who it’s against. I’m not stupid, I know I can’t just come back and say ‘I want to fight him,’ because it’s not going to work like that and I might never get the opportunity.
“But I’ve got to be in it to win it and I want to get back and see what happens.”
Johnson is looking for potential match-ups with the division’s best, like WBO champion Chris Billam-Smith.
“I know what I can do, I’m not deluded,” he said. “I’ve still got it in the gym. I’m looking at the cruiserweights in Britain and the world stage, like Chris Billam-Smith, and I think I can compete with them.
“And I think I can beat them.”
‘Beterbiev’s a monster’
Johnson had an impressive showing against current undefeated WBC, WBO and IBF light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. The champion had to climb off the canvas to stop Johnson in 2018.
“He’s top five [pound-for-pound]. He’s a monster, his results speak for themselves,” Johnson admitted. “He is getting on, but has he lost any of it?
“In his last performance, I thought he handled Anthony Yarde well. I know a lot of people thought he was on the slide a little bit, but I didn’t see it, I saw him control the fight quite comfortably.”
Beterbiev’s fight with Callum Smith, Johnson’s former gym-mate has been postponed.
“I know Callum very well,” Johnson said. “I think he’s got to get his jab off very quickly, stay composed, establish that jab and put it on him at the right times because Beterbiev is not the kind of fighter you can sit back with and let him come forward because you can see, he is a monster. Callum’s got to put it on him but be smart with it.”
